Editorial: The intersection of simplicity and danger

06/13/2017 12:27PM
● Published by J. Chambless

The road between simple faith and the
dangers of the modern world runs right between the home and barn
owned by Samuel and Sallie Stoltzfus.

The Amish family recently purchased 107
acres of farmland near the intersection of Appleton and
Strickersville roads, and are in the process of renovating the barn
and operating a dairy farm. Their home sits diagonally across the
intersection from the barn, and they must travel several times a day
to milk the cows and perform other chores.

The first Amish family to move into
Franklin Township is acutely aware of the dangerous Appleton Road,
which runs north-south on their property. Its intersection with
Strickersville has stop signs, as well as signs warning drivers that
traffic on Appleton Road does not stop, but that hasn't prevented
several near-misses at the intersection as inattentive drivers assume
they are approaching a four-way stop.

Former Franklin Township supervisor Nan
Latimer lives nearby, and her daughter had a crash at the
intersection when the other driver thought it was a four-way stop.

The Stoltzfus family has horse-drawn
farm equipment and buggies which travel across the intersection.
Samuel Stoltzfus spoke informally to the Chester County Press
last week, saying that a truck had recently pulled into the
intersection and nearly collided with a car on Appleton Road. He has
written to PennDOT to request stop signs for Appleton Road, and
Latimer has taken up his case, but the official ruling from PennDOT
is that there must be five “reportable” accidents at an
intersection before they will consider installing stop signs. “Would
you like to be one of those accidents?” Stoltzfus asked a reporter
last week. He fears that the first of these accidents could be one of
his family members being struck by a vehicle.

Cars on Appleton Road routinely exceed
the speed limit. There are Amish buggy signs posted north and south
of the Stoltzfus property, but being vaguely aware that there might
be horse-drawn equipment somewhere ahead doesn't do much to prevent a
tragedy.

The farm has been used in years past,
but with motorized vehicles that had lights and safety equipment, and
could quickly move to avoid a collision. When the property was laid
out, Appleton Road was a slow, country lane. Now, it's a commuter
route from housing developments in the area. Busy at all times of the
day, it's a vital corridor in the township but it runs right through
the Stoltzfus front yard.

Lancaster County Amish farms are often
bisected by roads that are no longer meandering pathways, and there
have been ongoing safety concerns. This case is new for this area of
Chester County, and while Latimer and current Board of Supervisors
chairman John Auerbach are concerned about the Stoltzfus family, they
are at the mercy of PennDOT rules.

Of course, while an intersection can be
considered hazardous by someone, putting up stop signs at random
cannot be allowed. Balancing public safety with a driver's right to
travel is always going to be tricky, but relying on the “five
accidents first” guideline for stop sign installation in this case
is a chilling proposition.

A resolution must be reached before a
tragedy occurs.

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